Overhead-conductor point for electric railways.



K. VON KANDO.

OVERHEAD CONDUCTOR POINT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED 050.9. 1914.

mum PLANOCIRAFH COqWASHINGTON, u. c.

UNIQED KALMAN VON KANDO, 0F VADO LIGURE, ITALY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE MACHINE COMPANY, OF EAST PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

OVERHEAD-CONDUCTOR POINT FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

Application filed December 9, 1914. Serial No. 876,380.

.. lb all whom it may concern:

The present invention relates to socalledtrolley wire points which are used above the rail points of electric railways having double overhead contact conductors at different potential.

It is obvious that at a junction of two trolley lines, wires of different potential cross and consequently must be insulated from one another. This is usually done by the interruption of the wires in question and by the insertion of an insulated portion. If the current collecting device of the vehicle which comprises two collectors engages with this insulated portion, one of the current collectors will not be supplied with current. In order to prevent this drawback the vehicle is usually provided with two sets of current collectors which are at a greater distance apart than the total length of the insulated portion of the trolley line.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved overhead conductor point which enables the vehicle to pass without interruption of current even when only one set of current collectors is employed. This object is attained by arranging that the insulated portion of the conductor at the junction shall be connected with the one or with the other of the conductors at different potential according as' the vehicle travels over one or the other trolley line. This connection can be made with an ordinary electric switch which requires no further description.

The essential, feature relates to the manner of applying and operating the switch. It hasalready been proposed to connect such a switch mechanically with the rail point mechanism. This solution has, however, the disadvantage that in theevent of the vehicle traveling in the wrong direction at the junction and opening the point, which could readily happen, the current collector on the insulated portion of the conductor wire point would receive the wrong potential, because the alteration of the switch would take place too late.

Another solution has been proposed, namely, the operation of the switch in question by means of an electric current supplied from suitable contacts which are closed by the vehicle. This solution has the drawback that it requires expensive and delicate mechanism and consequently the costs of installation and maintenance connected with it are high.

As is well known the current collector displaces the conductor wire and raises it upward by reason of the pressure exerted by the collector springs in order to maintain contact between the collector and the wire. According to the present invention this displacement of the conductor wire is utilized to operate the switch above mentioned.

In order that the nature of the invention may be clearly understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan showing the disposition of double overhead conductor wires at a junction. Fig. 2 is an end View showing the mechanism employed for operating the switches for connecting the insulated portion of the conductor wire with a conductor of the right polarity in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to Fig. 1, positive and negative conductor wires are indicated at 1, 2, 3, 4 respectively. 5 is an insulated portion at the junction of the conductor wires 2, 3 which are at diflerent potentials and 6 indicates the current collectors, two of which are carried by each car so as to engage with the positive and negative conductor wires respectivel Referring now to Fig. '2 the conductor wires 1, 4 are connected with each other in such a manner that in the event of the wire 1 being raised the wire at is pressed down and on the other hand if the wire 1 is raised the wire 1 is pressed down. The insulators 7 of the wires 2, 3 and 5 are mounted on a cross-arm 8, said cross-arm is supported in any suitable manner by a bracket of a mast or by a bridge which serves to carry the overhead conductors. On the cross-arm 8 a frame forming a two-armed lever 9, 10, 11 is mounted on a fixed pivot 12. As the overhead conductors 1 and 4t are at different potentials suitable" insulators 13 are provided in the construction of the lever 9, 10, 11 to properly insulate said wires from each other.

The arms 9,10 are provided with contacts 14, adapted tomake and break electric connections with contacts 16, 17 respectively which are mounted on the cross-arm 8. Of

these contacts 14 is in electrical connection with theconductor 1; 15 with the conductor 4, and 16, 17 with conductor 5.

It will be readily seen frominspection of the drawings that if the contact wire .4

be moved upward the frame 9, 10 11 is rotated on its pivot 12 so that contact 14 makes connection with contact 16, while contact 15 is separated from contact 17 and conversely if the wire 1 is raised contacts 15 and 17 make connection while that between 14 and 16 is broken. It will be clear therefore that if a vehicle running on the lines below the overhead conductors 3 and 4 approaches a junction the conductor wire 4 being raised owing to the upward pressure of the current collector will cause the contacts 14 and 16 to make connection and the conductor 5 is thereby connected to conductor 1,

\ so that the current collector which is making contact with overhead conductor 3, will, at the junction make connection with overhead conductor 5 whichis now of the same polarity. In a similar manner if a vehicle is ap proaching on the lines under the conductors 1 and 2 the conductor 5 will be connected to the conductor 4 so that it will be of the same polarity as conductor 2.

To obtain the correct adjustment of the height of the conductor wires the device connecting them with, the lever arms 9, 10 can be regulated. Screws 18 are shown inthe drawings for this purpose, but other means may be obviously employed. In order to maintain the crossarm 8 in the middle position whenno vehicle is approaching the junction, regulating springs such as indicated at '19 may be provided so that the contacts 14, 16 and 15, 17 respectively may be kept open and the conductor 5 insulated from the neighboring conductors.

I claim as my. invention:

1. In adouble overhead conductor system for electric railways the combination with the overhead conductors and normally in- Gopies of this patent may be obtained for sulated portions thereof at a junction, of movable supports for the outer conductors at or near a junction and switches operated by the movement of said supports for controlling the connection of said insulated portions of conductor to overhead conduc .mally maintaining said contacts apart.

4. In a double overhead conductor system for electric railways the combination with the overhead conductors and normally insulated portions thereof at a junction, of a pivoted frame supporting the outer conductors, a fixed support for the said insulated portions and switch contacts between said frame and support for controlling electrical connections between the insulated portions of the overhead conductor and the other portions thereof.

5. In a double overhead conductor system for electric railways the combination with the overhead conductors and normally insulated portions thereof at a junction, of a fixed support for said insulated portions and the inner conductors and a frame pivoted to said fixed support and supporting the outer conductors.

6. In a double overhead conductor system for electric railways the combination with the overhead conductors and normally insulated portions thereof at a junction, of pivoted supports for the outer conductors at or near a junction, switch contacts on said supports connected to the respective outer conductors, a support for the said insulated portions of the conductors, switch contacts on said support connected to the said insulated portions of the conductors and adapted to cooperate with the contacts on the pivoted supports,.and springs for normally maintaining said contacts apart.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of October 1914.

KALMAN VON KANDO.

Witnessesz G. A. JnNAvI, A. BORAGINO.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,148,876, granted August 3, 1915, upon the application of Kalman VOIl Kando, of Vado Ligure, Italy, for an improvement in Overhead-Conductor Points for Electric Railways, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 69, claim 2, for the word or read of; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of September, A. D., 1915.

J. T. NEWTON,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

[SEAL] 

